SureWest Set to Become First Broadband Service Provider in U.S. to Offer HDTV Over an IP Network

SureWest Set to Become First Broadband Service Provider in U.S. to Offer HDTV Over an IP Network

ROSEVILLE, Calif., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Leading independent telecommunications holding company SureWest Communications (NASDAQ:SURW) continues to lead the market in broadband video technology as it prepares to become the first company in the United States to offer High Definition TV (HDTV) commercially over its Internet Protocol (IP)-based fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) network.

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Beginning October 25, 2005, the Roseville, CA-based company will take its HDTV over IP beta testing out of the lab environment and into a broader production environment. This full-service round of testing will be the final stage leading up to SureWest's commercial HDTV deployment.

"Using IP technology over our fiber-optic network offers the potential for increased clarity to the HD experience and will allow SureWest to offer a variety of emerging video products, while maintaining the area's fastest high-speed Internet service," says Bill DeMuth, SureWest's vice president and chief technology officer. "The IP FTTP service delivery model provides flexibility and abundant cost-effective bandwidth to deliver voice and data services, as well as a host of interactive television capabilities with IPTV.

"This is more of what people are looking for from their televisions and we are excited to be at the forefront of this movement."

As part of its broadband growth strategy, SureWest has built an FTTP network throughout the Sacramento, CA region, passing more than 80,000 marketable homes. SureWest currently expects to launch HDTV over IP commercially in November 2005. SureWest's fiber network currently provides an industry-leading speed of up to 10 megabits per second (Mbps) high-speed Internet service (both downloading and uploading), with the option to double that speed up to 20 Mbps.

SureWest enhanced its ability to deliver advanced IP video service over a fiber network with a Cisco(R) (NASDAQ:CSCO) IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) featuring Cisco Catalyst(R) 4510 and Catalyst 6509 switches that help enable SureWest to deliver high speeds based on the 100 Mbps standard bi-directional to its residential customers.

"It's gratifying to work with a company like SureWest, a firm that continues to search for new ways to offer customers leading-edge services through its IP network," said Jeff Spagnola, vice president of service provider marketing, Cisco. "Customers are increasingly demanding more advanced services, and we are committed to working with providers like SureWest to enable video/IPTV networks that scale with a lower total cost of ownership and that have unparalleled video-application linkages for a better user experience."

About SureWest

With more than 90 years in Northern California, SureWest and its family of companies together provide a wide variety of highly reliable advanced communications products and services. SureWest provides digital TV, fiber optics, PCS wireless, DSL, high-speed Internet access, data transport, local and long distance telephone service, and directories with the highest standards of customer care. For more information, visit the SureWest web site at www.surewest.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, these forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as may, will, should, expect, plan, anticipate, or project or the negative of those words or other comparable words. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results to differ from those projected in such forward-looking statements.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward- looking statements include, but are not limited to: advances in telecommunications technology, changes in the telecommunications regulatory environment, changes in the financial stability of other telecommunications providers who are customers of the company, changes in competition in markets in which the company operates, adverse circumstances affecting the economy in California in general, and in the Sacramento, California Metropolitan area in particular, the availability of future financing, changes in the demand for services and products, new product and service development and introductions, pending and future litigation, the internal control issues identified by the company, and unanticipated changes in the growth of the company's emerging businesses, including the wireless, Internet, video and Competitive Local Exchange Carrier operating entities.

Contact: Ron Rogers Public Relations Manager 916-746-3123 r.rogers@surewest.com

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Bill DeMuth http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=10002028 Scott Barber http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=10002030

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050908/SFSUREWESTLOGO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: SureWest Communications

CONTACT: Ron Rogers, Public Relations Manager of SureWest, +1-916-746-3123, or r.rogers@surewest.com

Web site: http://www.surewest.com/

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